Is there anyway a novice modder like myself can clean up the HUD screen?
All I would like to do (till a 1.3 ready BZNES is complete) is move the in-game Stat's window "away" from my target window and perhaps move the in-game chat window. BZNES lets me move then easily but I'm not sure where to look in the stock 1.3 folders?
If I'm better off waiting till BZNES's update then I'll live with it.
Any hope that TV's BZNES like features/options will be included in a "future" release of the 1.3 patch?
Have they ever been considered during the beta testing?
What's not to love about TV's chat window options?
*note* I've read the change log and not much about the in-game HUD every mentioned unless I was too blurry eyed to catch it... :o
The file responsible for the HUD is bzgame_stats.cfg. You have to extract this file from patch13.pak, and copy it to the addon folder. Then you can edit it according to the changes in BZNES (see in root/BZNES-shared/GameHUD). Ive customated my 1.3 and it looks like this:
(http://home.t-online.de/home/520046175861-0001/bz2_HUD.jpg)
This is for a 1280x1024 resolution. Let me know if you need my bzgame_stats.cfg file.
Thanks! Yeah I was going for something along those lines. I just didn't know if 1.3 would edit the same and didn't won't to mess my install up just yet... :lol:
I play in 1600 1200 32
i can hardly read the chat text so if you can give a (for a noob remember) easy to follow explanation on how to increase the size if the chat text i'd be grateful.
Knight.
This isnt easy to explain if you wanna change the cfg file yourself. Either you try 1280x1024 res and my or RA´s cfg file or you wait for BZNES.
Edit: photo removed at this time...RA
What's that huge number on your screenies?
No, the large white number on the bottom left that says 41. There is also another number in the other screenshot.
41 is your scrap count.
I thought one of the numbers on top, left or right gives info about polycount.
another one is the frame rate. maybe somebody remembers what the numbers on top of the screen exactly mean?
Oh, I thought those huge numbers were the player's age. (Damn, you guys are old, hehe).
Age? Not just yet, but getting close I'm afraid. :lol:
Old as scrap...I hope not.
The one just to the right of the FPS I believe are the faces in the current seen, and I *think* the one next to it has something to do with textures...
That scrap thing is so neat! I'll have to put that in my stock config files. I'll have a look around and figure it out... :P
What I like about GJC's layout is that the message window is at the bottom of the screen.
What I like about Rubicon's message window is that it's more to the left
than centered (less in the way of the sniper scope) and that the backgroud
is clear and easy to see through rather than extra-shaded.
If I could do it, I'd have the message window at the bottom like GJC but
more to the left and with a transparent background like rubicon (and would
also prefer a smaller font & window, though that seems fixed)
As a matter of personal preference I would not want the oversized scrap count.
At the moment in the current beta1 layout, the default location of the
message window interferes with the sniper scope's view in a major way.
If it can be changed without affecting compatibility I'll look to see if I am
able to move the message window out of the sniper scope's way (moving it
to the bottom left-center).
Ohhh, It can ;)
I'm currently tweaking mine. I actually prefer the shaded area as many of the maps have a light sky and or textures to them making it hard to see the text.
is this screen shots from v 1.3???
Yep
IceWendigo, I have changed my HUD shortly after I posted my screen shot.
I agree the "stats" window should have been higher. It's now just below my "target" window.
Plus the "message box" text is far left and just beside the scrap bar above map area.
Still messing around with font's and font sizes.
Fun thing about BZ2 is you can play with it once you understand how.
Edit: Photo removed at this time...RA
WOW! Simply amazing! Can you post the files you modified? I'd be honored to use your interface.
Cool! That looks awesome!
Thanks Speedy :-D
This HUD set up ONLY and I mean ONLY works with 1028x764.
Of course if someone has the time to tweak say, 3D map and some windows it could work at higher resolutions.
I got just some more fine tuning yet to do then I'll create a zip.
All files in the zip must be placed in your "addon" folder or some things won't work well with each other.
It's a painfully slow process. :(
Hat's off to TimeVirus for leading the way with BZNES.
And secondly BZZERKER for showing me the way to take it apart.
Thanks DX and FlashFire. :-D
I've changed the "F" key's locations since that's been buggy me for years.
The "group" keys are now centered and "base" keys now have larger icons.
I've also moved the "power" icon near scrap guage.
Just didn't look right at top to me since you don't command it.
I need to test the zip first and need a way to link to it.
Once I know it works I'll begin to email the zip to others.
Edit: Photos removed at this time...RA
Excellent. Any news on restoring the old BZI graphics?
Or how about the abilty to have race-differing hud's?
Also, is their anyway to stop my forces making such huge green blobs on the radar? buildings..ok...But indervidual units? IMo they should be 1x1 pixel wide green 'specks' that might only highlight when that group is selected.
Is there anyway to accomplish these things?
very sweet... although i hate the cockpick thingy :P
:lol: I only had the cockpit on to make sure things where centered.
Some really like the cockpit setting (points at HempMonkey)
At Hemp, I'd love to see race-differing HUD's but I'm almost certain
that is beyond possible. Any takers?
You should really get into the game biz Hemp. Great ideas but a programmer's worst nightmare. :D
Zip file is now availble! PM me an email address and read the README file.
As TV says, "Real men use zips". I wish I knew who create better ones!
The chat stuff doesn't quite appear where it appears on yours. And also the radar isn't transperant. Or is all that for strat?
http://speedy.pagemac.com/bz2pics/1.3/wrong_interface.jpg
I'll send you the .pic file for the radar. I was still working that out. Fixed now.
But the chat window...hmmmm :s
Thats in your "bzgame_stats" file near the bottom of the page
CreateControl("Messages", "LISTBOX")
{
ColorGroup("BACKGROUND1");
Geometry("LEFT", "TOP");
Position(-730, 162);
Size(710, 153);
BevelSize(3);
BorderSize(3);
CellSize(675, 17);
Font("LARGE");
UseVar("network.stats.messages");
Style("INERT", "NOSELECTION", "AUTOSCROLL", "TRANSPARENT");
ItemConfig()
{
Style("TRANSPARENT");
}
TabStop(0);
}
Note the "Position(-730, 162)" with some tweaking you should be able to move that down.
I don't know why at 1024x768 it would not be in the same place.
UPDATE: Hey Speedy, I believe you got an older zip, not the one I'm currently using. Really sorry about that. :oops:
Check you email.
Mad-Max may host files so I can just post links to newer builds.
I'm on a school computer:
Is there anyway to move the radar away from the middle of the screen when the cockpit is not on? Its kinda distracting where it is. I know you can move it in the gameprefs.ini file but I'm taking about having an if statement.
Btw I can host any file you give me in my webspace. I'll host this one and provide a link to it here later on today.
Great question Speedy but I doubt it.
You could move the 3D map to the same area as the top view map.
But there is where it will stay.
I just like the 3D map centered because when I'm in a Walker or Assault Tank I loss my bearings too easily.
I try to move and I'm now facing the wrong way. :D
And I hate third person views for game play.
Try looking in the "GamePrefs" file for this:
// Same as above, but for the 3D cockpit radar. [applies to play &
// editor, actually] You may need to keep the aspect ratio constant
// here; if not 1.85:1, the XSI may need tweaking
Play_CockpitRadarHeight = 170
Play_CockpitRadarWidth = 290
Play_CockpitRadarXMult = 0.0
Play_CockpitRadarXDiff = 366.0
Play_CockpitRadarYMult = 1.0
Play_CockpitRadarYDiff = -680.0
These settings should be change to where your top view map is.
You may need to tweak a bit to fit right.
Hope that helps. Let me know, okay?
Speedy, You think that's in the way, what's that make this? :D
(http://users.adelphia.net/~jgima67%20/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bz2_0048.jpg)
Don't laugh...I almost like it :lol:
I see you got the fonteditor to work. :cool:
Nice change to "command" (oops "group" of course) keys BZZERKER.
Will the fatter hull gauges drop down to new line after more than five units or did that you have to create a new line?
I haven't messed with that part...yet.
Thats the kind of view a Cerberi would have :) Thats if they see normal vision 'at all'.
I didn't at first but.......it kind of grows on you. You have to play a few IA games to get used to it. I'd hate to have to try and get used to it in a strat :shock: :lol: .
That program is a snap to use. Just didn't know it existed.
Thanks :) . Those are actually the "group" keys. The new hull gauges were a PITA. Each 1 has to be spaced in the cfg. Stock "size" on them is (2, 5), I went with (8, 8 ) which are much easier on the eyes @ 1280 x1024. I was able to bump up the size due to my use of a resized "colorize" file graciously provided by ZA (for those of you wondering). I was also able to add a few more things to the colorize file without problems.
Which cfg file has to be changed to get these hull gauges?
Quote from: GJCWhich cfg file has to be changed to get these hull gauges?
That file is "bzgame_group". You may have a very hard time increasing the size of the hull gauge with the stock size colorize (128 x128). I had to resize mine to 190 x 190 at which point everything else goes haywire. Eventually even 190 was not big enough for some "newer" things I wanted to add. I'm currently @ 384 x 384 with plenty of room to spare so I doubt the file is going to get any bigger. What I'm trying to say (in a rambling sort of way) is, things are not as easy as changing a few #'s here or there. As RA said before, it's a very tedious process. OH YEAH, beware of "ColorGroup not found" if using BZNES files :lol: ;)
Haha thats insane! Might be good for those complete-night maps. Like almost no ambient light at all except the light you get from your ship. Perhaps you could see shadows of the landscape :).
Btw RA it works great and looks the way yours does. I'm gonna mess with it because I play at 800x600 (you can actually read things).
Great Speedy...
Glad it works now. Hope to see how 800x600 looks after you tweak it.
I'm guessing the map and radar had to be huge at the resolution... :D
If you would still like to host my current build that would be great as well.
My zip file wasn't user friendly from what I've heard from a few.
File path info was incorrect. If you could host an improved zip so someone could just extract directly to their BZ2 root\addon that would be helpful.
If you wish, send them to me and I will make two version's, one of a zip, all they have to do is extract to bz2 root folder, the other will be a simple installer, put in bz2 root folder, it extracts it correctly to there. Would be very simple to do, only take a few seconds.
Night maps would be cool! Well, if the lighting on the units was any good, I think the lights are too weak to be useful, also, it wouldnt be a good idea for multiplayer, because someone need only turn off 'lighting' for the map to become bright as day for them.
You're better off darkening the terrain manually if you want it to look night-ish (best way is probably by using winter on your map to make color adjustments). Of course this comes with problems, namely bright objects on dark terrain :-(